Nova Scotia’s 5 Claims To Fame

Don't underestimate Nova Scotia!

By HEATHER LAURA CLARKE on May 9, 2017

Photo Credit: Herald File

You might think Nova Scotia’s only famous for its seafood — although we are pretty well-known for that — but there’s a lot you might not know about us. From celebrities and movie sets to the different ways we’ve wound up in history textbooks, here are Nova Scotia’s Top 5 claims to fame:

2. Movie directors love us.

Nova Scotia is a popular spot to shoot movies, and it’s been home to sets for movies like The Scarlet Letter, Simon Birch, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Two if by Sea, Dolores Claiborne, Outlander, The Shipping News, Leaving Las Vegas and Love and Death on Long Island.

Outlander Cast. Photo Credit: Herald File

3. So do TV producers.

Nova Scotia’s been the backdrop of TV shows (and TV movies) like Haven, Trailer Park Boys, Jesse Stone, Mr. D, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Big Driver and Lizzie Borden Took an Ax. A shopping mall in Bedford was recently used to shoot the TV series inspired by Stephen King’s The Mist.

One of the biggest shows on the History Channel, The Curse of Oak Island, is filmed right here in Nova Scotia for good reason — it’s a real-life treasure hunt. Go there and see for yourself if you can solve Oak Island’s 220-year-old mystery.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes will receive special honours during the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards to be presented in Toronto in March. Photo Credit: Herald File

4. Our history is kind of a big deal.

Not only did they film part of Titanic in Nova Scotia, but Halifax is a real part of the story that unfolded back in April of 1912.

Two Halifax ships sailed to the disaster site and brought more than 400 bodies back to the city, and horse-drawn carriages transported them to a temporary morgue at the Mayflower Curling Rink.

The majority of the victims were buried in three Halifax cemeteries — St. Mary’s Cathedral, Brunswick Street Methodist Church, St. George’s Church and All Saint’s Cathedral — which you can visit today. You can also check out the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic for more details on our Titanic connection.

Halifax also has a special historic link with Boston. They sent disaster relief to Halifax after we suffered a terrible explosion in 1917, and we thank them every year by sending down the huge Christmas tree that’s lit on the Boston Common every holiday season.

5. We’ve invented the best stuff.

Speaking of history, did you know the telephone was invented in Nova Scotia? It totally was. Alexander Graham Bell’s family vacation home was near Baddeck on Cape Breton Island. You can even visit his first inventions at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.